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Remembering When a Platform Was Something People Stood on to Give A Speech

I guess in some ways it still is.

Two years ago before I’d even finished my first novel, I read a now long-lost article about building an author platform. Boy was I confused!

I hadn’t even finished my first novel at the time and I knew zip about publishing so in between writing, I read everything I could focus my eyes on about how to build my author platform and hit the ground running.

Boy, was I still confused.

I didn’t give up though. I figured what did I have to lose? All of these experienced writers and authors were offering free advice on the internet and I was sucking it up like a V8 engine and refilling my tank at every station. Bless their hearts for being so generous with their ideas and recipes and hammers and nails but what I was missing was the plywood.

It’s not just about getting followers and tweeting day and night with the same links and information. It’s also about lifting others up, sharing your highs and lows and finding your readers. I’ll admit, I’m still looking for mine but now I’m making the conscious decision to stop worrying so much about how many people I’m connected to and I’m focusing on stories, blogs, articles and information that truly interests me and catches my eye.

I’m trying to build a house, not a platform. I don’t want to stand on a platform and shout out to the world, “Over here! Look at me!” I want to create a place where my readers can come inside and feel at home. I want them to get up and make their own snack and grab a drink and feel comfortable doing it. I want them to kick off their shoes and flop on the sofa and chat.

It’s going to take a lot more than plywood and nails to build this house but once I’m done, I’ll have an open door policy to anyone who needs a place to go and relax with a good book.

She might be a one room shack with an out-house right now but soon, she’ll be a boarding house with plenty of room for guests and more books than you can shake a stick at.

When my readers finally do come knocking, I want to open the door and say, “Welcome home. You finally made it.”